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喫茶ホーボー堂Cafe Hobodo

I first heard of 喫茶ホーボー堂Cafe Hobodo from the owner of cafe de Corazon: Master was telling a regular about the opening of a new café that would be serving cafe de Corazon’s coffee beans and he gave me a shop card. The unfortunate thing is that it’s open only on Sundays for the time being but I was able to go a few weeks after their opening in late April last year in mid-May, when I suggested it to Mason for a light lunch.

To save time, instead of walking from 二条駅Nijo Station as I would have liked, I took the subway to 京阪三条駅Keihan Sanjo Station and walked along 川端通Kawabata Street and turned on to 仁王門通Niomon Street (passing ピニョ食堂Pinyo Shokudo at the corner) and headed to 東大路通Higashioji Street. It wasn’t hard to find although the sign was a board of wood with the name of the café perched on a chair and the cluster of bikes caught one’s eye more.

Although I hadn’t walked very far, it was a sunny walk with no shade, so I was quite a hot mess when I walked in…besides the L-shaped counter seating and a small table for two at the front, there were two bigger tables near the back which were occupied with who seemed like friends of the owner couple; I chose a seat in the middle of the counter seating.

Since there wasn’t much near the front of the café, it felt more spacious there.

the counter space under the staircase

the rest of the counter seating and the kitchen area (next to the left is the restroom)…I wonder if they got that bird light fixture from the former Citron sucré…

the biggest table behind my seat

Although the exterior wasn’t too impressive, the interior was true DIY-style and charming; with a homey and natural feeling, I took a liking to the atmosphere instantly.

I sent Mason the address for the café and was cooling off when she arrived about 15 minutes later. There are only three options for meals on the menu, all healthy vegetarian/vegan, as well as two sweets and a list of drinks, so it didn’t take long to decide. I also had an アイスコーヒーiced coffee, ￥350, ￥150 off with a meal, made with cafe de Corazon’s rich Italian blend while waiting for the food which took some time since there were orders prior to ours.

Definitely a recommend for anyone who wants a light but satisfying wholesome meal with plenty of vegetables…the soup was creamy and delicious and my bread and the bread for Mason’s falafel seemed to be the same and homemade.

The owner couple was quite busy the time we were there but they were very kind and friendly, especially when I told them that I was working as staff at cafe de Corazón only Sundays at the time…of course they wouldn’t know because they had to man Cafe Hobodo on that day of the week☺. I definitely want to try other meals and dessert next time!